Parks officials’ hands tied on $6.5 million parking lease

On Thursday, utility officials will present to Rec and Park for the second time a $6.5 million, 75-year lease for 60 parking spots in the Civic Center garage, but there’s a little problem: Park staff already assumed the commission would accept it.

In August the Rec and Park Commission heard about how the SFPUC wanted to secure the spots among the 850 in the garage for its glamorous new eco-headquarters with an upfront payment of $3.25 million.

But the Rec and Park staff’s pitch shows that if the commission doesn’t accept it, they’ll have to make further cutbacks or layoffs since they already assumed they had the money.

Commissioners at the last meeting were most worried that naming the price was premature since parking rates might increase.

So the new agreement states:

“If actual increases to the carpool parking rate exceed three percent, the PUC will cover the difference through either 1.) a reduction in the length of the pre-paid lease or 2.) a supplemental annual payment to the Recreation and Park Department. This provision will go into effect only if the increase to the MTA-approved parking fees exceeds the three percent annual compound growth already provided by the agreement.”

The commission is scheduled to vote on whether they should accept the staff’s assumption of talk more cutbacks on Thursday.